Thursday, November 15, 2007

Someone Call 911!

I was going to do a post about Thanksgiving, but after nearly taking off every finger on my left hand*, I need to keep this brief. Typing is slow going as it is and an extra strong mojito is about to catch up with me. So I apologize in advance for any and all spelling and grammatical mistakes or if there are sentences that just plain don't make sense.

What can I say about Thanksgiving..? I’m going to use a frozen organic turkey because I’m testing the idea that frozen turkeys taste better than fresh. I know it sounds unbelievable, but there's a whole debate out there. I will say the best turkey I ever had was frozen (and brined) but that was years ago, and I've yet to experience a turkey worth remembering, whether fresh or frozen.

I’ll also be making creamed spinach, corn muffins and cranberry chutney, the inspiration for which I found in a new (and cool) local food magazine called MIX. I made the chutney in advance and put it in the freezer. That’ll be one less thing to worry about on Turkey Day.

Cranberry Chutneyadapted from MIX Magazine

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

2 tbs neutral oil, such as canola or grape seed

1 tbs mustard oil (or 1 tsp mustard seeds, finely ground)

½ cup minced onion

1 cinnamon stick

1-2 jalapenos (or more to taste), split lengthwise

½ tbs grated ginger

1 cup sugar

¼ to 1/3 cup cider vinegar

12oz bag fresh cranberries

salt to taste (about ½ to 1 tsp)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, fry the onions, cinnamon stick and jalapenos in the hot oils until the onions start to brown. Add the ginger and cook for about another minute or two. Add the ground spices and turn to mix well. Fry for 30 seconds to a minute. Add the cranberries, sugar and vinegar. Allow to come to a boil and the cranberries start to pop. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the cranberries are soft. Take off the lid and turn up the heat a little to drive off some of the moisture until it becomes the consistency you like. Add salt to taste.

*Here’s what happened: I was going to make a mojito to enjoy with our dinner (Mexican food), but the glass shaker shattered. The cuts were pretty deep and it took about 15 minutes for the bleeding to stop. Have you every tried to compress 3 fingers at once while holding your hand over your head? It’s harder than it sounds.